“All right.”
“It’s not a very good method. Let’s say he showed his face wherever the Grand Duchess goes.
But chasing her to the late emperor’s grave was a bit excessive. As soon as the crown prince saw him, he got angry and got kicked out, so isn’t it wrong to make a good impression?”
The lady in waiting pressed Rachel, who didn’t respond, one more time.
“I think it’d be better to switch to another man.”
“…hmm, why?”
Rachel deliberately widened her eyes and casually asked. She was overly girlish but it fit her oddly well.
“It’s a method, even if it’s not clever, Young Duke Blanchett is healthy and handsome. Who knows if the Grand Duchess will change her mind if he catches her eye? It’s stranger that you suddenly want to replace someone who is trying to do a good job.”
“No, that…”
Rachel, who had a clear insight into the intentions of the maid who had feelings for the young Duke Blanchett, looked down at the newspaper again with a smile.
‘I don’t like kids who don’t even know it’s obvious and roll their heads weakly like that.’
If she had been honest, she would have thought her cute and comforted her and gave her a few jewels.
The lady in waiting, not knowing that she had kicked her fortune with her own feet, secretly pouted her lips. But even if she dared to be dissatisfied, she was too afraid of her master.
‘It’s all because of that woman…’
So the sparks wrongly flew at Lily.
***
The day before the opening.
Damian was busy with the vigilante task the Emperor had given him.
Early in the morning, after Damian went to work instead of going to the imperial palace, an unexpected guest visited the Grand Duke’s residence.
“Brother!”
“Lily…!”
Cedric strode over to Lily, who had risen from her seat and hugged her tightly.
“How are you? Did anything special happen? How is your health?”
“How about you? Nothing special happened… Everything is fine.”
“You look a little thin.”
“I’ve always been like that. Please sit down.”
“I was worried you might suffer.”
“Yes, yes.”
Lily sat down in front of the prepared tea utensils. When Mrs. Maureen naturally pushed the teapot filled with hot water, Lilian took the kettle and began warming her cup with the hot water.
They seemed accustomed to being waited upon and being served. Seeing the Missus dignified and caring for Lilian, Cedric felt relieved as well.
It wouldn’t have happened, but he was secretly worried that the loyalists who served the late emperor would be territorial and treat his younger and inexperienced sister as a scarecrow.
In the meantime, he even received a disturbing letter from Damian.
Anyway, contrary to his worries, Lilian didn’t look too sick, and the family servants respectfully followed her. Nothing happened despite his fears.
“Yes. You seem to be doing well, Lily.”
He felt relieved but had a complicated feeling that he didn’t want to admit.
“Yes, as you can see. Is brother like that too?”
“Why am I…”
“You often stay up all night during busy times. I’m worried because my older brother only listened to me when when I stopped him. Allen, how was it?”
“Unfortunately, the Lord didn’t follow very well. He is living his own life when the lady is not around.”
Cedric touched his forehead.
“Allen Hayworth…”
“Isn’t the young lady asking me? How can I lie?”
Seeing it for the first time in a while, Allen was still fearless and Cedric still hadn’t cured his workaholic-ism.
“I’m glad you’re still there. He seems to be comfortable even without me. Right?”
“Yes, it’s very worthwhile to live by marrying off my nagging little sister.”
Despite his hateful words, Cedric had a very sad expression on his face.
Mrs. Maureen, looking at the two siblings, bent her knees and stepped out.
“I don’t even dare to ask what it would be like to let go of such a precious person in your arms. Even if this one is not enough, I will do my best to serve her, so I just hope that Marquis Turin will put his mind at ease.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
At those words, even the slightest bit of anxiety in his heart disappeared.
From the moment he first set foot in the mansion, he guessed from the extremely respectful attitude of the Head Butler who greeted him.
Not long after she left, Lilian had already become the true owner of this house. This was Lily’s castle and home, not Turin.
He thought it would be nice if she was doing well, but when he really saw her doing so well, why was his heart so sad?
“…hey, you seem to have forgotten that your brother is also attending the opening party because you got along so well.”
“?”
Lilian didn’t immediately notice what this narrow minded older brother was saying. Allen, who couldn’t bear to see it, explained.
“At the opening banquet, the Lord was very disappointed that the young lady didn’t invite him to be your partner.”
“Ah.”
“…”
The age of Elector of Turin, who averted his gaze, is now 28. As the head of the household and as a human being, he had dignity, but… It was nothing in the face of his beloved sister’s sad face.
Damian, if only there was no such nasty Grand Duke. Cedric didn’t save face and showed his displeasure.
Lilian repeated the reasonable explanation that she had given Matteo though it’s doubtful if Cedric listened to it. Of course, like everyone else, Cedric’s emotional upset couldn’t be solved with a rational explanation.
Lilian still looked at her older brother, who pretended not to listen. And she added this as if prescribing a deadly drug.
“And you should start a family too.”
“Ugh, Lily!”
Indeed. Some of Cedric’s peers married early and already had two children.
Mrs. Hayworth had already torched him for this problem for three years, and after Lilian got married, others began to wonder, “when will he get married…”
Whenever that happened, Cedric cut it with a single knife, saying that it wasn’t the time yet. However…
“Illasia and Solaria are bragging. Saying their nephew is so cute.”
“Among my sorority classmates, me and Russel are the only ones who didn’t have a nephew yet.”
Russel had a younger brother who was five years old, so there’s still a long way to go, but Lily had a brother who was 28 years old.
“Lily, not yet…”
Cedric looked at Lily’s sad face and thought.
‘I thought she brought up the topic of marriage on purpose to attack her upset brother but it seems she really wanted a nephew.’
In fact, more than a nephew, Lilian was worried about Cedric. After she got married and left, her brother was left alone in Turin Castle.
28 was the right age for marriage for an aristocratic man.
But Cedric didn’t even consider getting engaged yet.
He wasn’t ready. In Lilian’s eyes, Cedric was the one who would do his best to take responsibility for his family. You could see that just by seeing how terribly good he was to Lilian right away.
In addition, the Elector of Turin had a lot of money and power.
It’s not that he can’t. He just didn’t want to. Lilian carefully guessed the reason.
‘Maybe he’s still afraid.’
Cedric lost both his parents at different times.
He lost his mother as a child, and lost his father before he was ready to stand up and succeed as an adult.
The two losses left deep scars on Cedric’s soul. He terribly cares for his only surviving blood relative, Lilian, and his excessive concern was not irrelevant to her.
Claude I is alive and well. Maybe Cedric didn’t want to create another weakness for the enemy who killed his father, Lilian carefully guessed.
It was exactly true.
“Older brother, if it’s not the time yet, I won’t force it. But…”
“I wish my brother had a family besides me.”
Cedric’s heart understands. However, in Lilian’s eyes, Cedric was the kind of person who could only gain strength if he had a family to protect.
He was a man who needed his family to take care of him so that he could get peace of mind and do better by not blaming himself unnecessarily.
Cedric needed a family.
“…so you, my only family, should have been my partner.”
“Brother.”
Lilian smiled awkwardly.
“I know what you mean, Lily. You are worried about me.”
“Brother is too stubborn.”
“Unlike you, there’s a second version. I wonder if you wanted nephews that much…”
It was more of a curious tone than a thoughtful one. Lilian said, “If my brother doesn’t like it, I can’t help it” and shrugged her shoulders.
She thought while doing that.
‘I’m sure I wasn’t caught.’
She had known for a very long time that Cedric didn’t want a family. It wasn’t just because she had left Turin that she suddenly brought up the story of his marriage.
Lilian didn’t have long now before she dies.
Lilian didn’t want her beloved brother to lose his sister, his only blood relative.
At least he should have a wife and dear child whom he loves more than his sister, when Lilian was pushed out for the third time.
So if she died…she hoped that Cedric would be less shocked.
Not knowing that his beloved sister was thinking such terrible thoughts, Cedric felt sorry for not being able to give her a nephew that she wanted right away, apart from avoiding marriage.
It’s really a pushover idea, but the man who loves his sister too much even came up with this method.
“Lily, if you want to have a nephew, how about an adopted child…”
“Brother.”
“My Lord.”
Allen and Lilian both put on a look of amazement at the same time. Seeing their scolding eyes against a pathetic person, Cedric thought ‘was I too much?’ and was embarrassed.
Seeing her embarrassed brother, Lilian secretly thought: Maybe…
‘Looks like Shaw kept the secret.’
She already knew that the attending physician’s mouth was heavy, but she was relieved after checking it herself.
Yes, nobody knows yet. Lilian was so relieved.
Shaw kept her secret as promised, but she never dreamed that she couldn’t.
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